3 Simple Health Strategies for 2019

Let’s talk about health strategies that are clear, simple and work for the long term!

What is it that you need to change your behavior, to reflect what you say you want to accomplish? What it is that you are willing to do to make that happen? What will happen if you don’t accomplish it at all? The answers are usually plain and simple. It’s your thoughts and beliefs around your simple, inner answer that has most of us confused. What you call the norm in the fitness and nutrition industry is deeply confused. Science-based evidence debunks the fads regularly, yet most people continue to be swooned and influenced by mass media. Every year it seems to get worse. What we know as facts get dressed up and twirled around more and more by the multibillion-dollar industries that thrive on mass confusion. Mass confusion inevitably means there are billions of dollars to be made. And so, it goes…

As a seasoned fitness and nutrition expert, I want to share with you my favorite three simple and true health strategies. I have watched lights turn on in people’s eyes when I shared their simplicity. These strategies have also morphed my mind and body. Perhaps, they will do the same for you. They’re simple, yet so rich. If you like them, I encourage you to write them down on post it notes for daily reminders, or create a vision board and include them on it, or perhaps a new tattoo! Ha!

Motion is lotion!

When we move, we lube…tendons, ligaments, muscle, fascia and also organs. The best exercise is a body movement that you enjoy! Choose something that you find exhilarating. It can be as simple as dancing in your living room or daily walks with your dog. Maybe it will be as complex as roller derby or gymnastics. Whatever you do, do it with intention and free yourself from faddish fitness trends that are not sustainable for your lifestyle.

All foods fit!

The best diet is no diet! Science-based evidence shows that a balanced diet that includes all food groups is the best, most sustainable, overall healthiest option for feeling good and investing in your body’s longevity. We are not sure how long our body is supposed to last. Diets that illuminate food groups based on no scientific evidence is harming your health, not helping it. Ditch the extremes and try my motto: “all foods fit!” In this way, we can eat healthy most of the time. To clarify what “most of the time” is, think about what you are currently doing and upgrade it by 20 to 30 percent. For example, if you eat right 50 percent of the time, try eating right 70 percent to 80 percent of the time. This makes room for your favorite not-so-healthy treats, and that’s a good thing too!

Your body is your sensei!

I hope you know your body better than anyone else could ever know your body. If you don’t, I urge you to start listening to it now. It has something to say. Bow to your sensei! It can tell you when you are hungry, full, energetic, tired, injured, and so much more. Your body’s unique communication is one worth tuning into to hear. The body follows the brain. It is not vice versa. We take our bodies to the gym to get fit. Where do you take your mind to get fit? We are better able to hear what our bodies are communicating if we are clear minded. My favorite kind of mind fitness is working it out on a meditation cushion, writing in my self-inquiry journal, or cognitive behavioral therapy with an expert. When we reconnect mentally, our body follows. My wish for you this year is that you move to lube, include all foods, and bow to your sensei in 2019!

Danielle Fryer RDN, CSCS is an advocate for healthy living. Fryer is a registered dietitian nutritionist, specializing in sports dietetics, certified strength and conditioning specialist and yoga teacher. She has served in fitness and nutrition leadership roles in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Alabama, and Arizona. She now lives in Scottsdale and works as the new Director of Health & Fitness at The Country Club at DC Ranch.